


From a Distance

by crimsonseastorm



Category: The Transformers (Comic), Transformers
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-19
Updated: 2010-10-19
Packaged: 2017-10-12 18:50:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/127950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsonseastorm/pseuds/crimsonseastorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Megatron needs a new Aerial Commander but first must convince him there's something to live for. Mentions of character death, hints of Megs/TC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From a Distance

**Title:** From a Distance (oh yeah good title I haz it)  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Warnings:** Character Death, Spoilers for All Hail Megatron #12, Heavy bits of angst  
 **Verse:** IDW AU  
 **Characters:** Megatron, Thundercracker, hints of Megs/TC  
 **Disclaimer:** Transformers aren't mine they are Hasbro and Takara's.  
 **Prompt:** thundercracker/megatron - "hiding in the shadows while you fade"

A/N: Set after AHM #12 definitely AU because I'm pretty sure nobody died and they do here D8 done for tf_rarepairing

* * *

The medics worked furiously; parts and pieces being moved, replaced and repaired. Energon dripped from the sides of the operating table, running in rivulets towards the drain on the floor and they were attempting to seal off the leaking lines before the mech under their hands bled out. They knew he was important to the cause, that he was a needed piece to the Decepticon victory and that anything should be done to keep him alive.

Megatron wasn't sure it would matter.

He knew Seekers. He had learned a ridiculous amount about them just so they would even consider joining up and in the end recruiting them had been far from easy. These three had been so very different; each with that streak of pride at having wings, at owning the sky and no one could doubt that they knew what they were doing. He had picked them because they were the best and he would only have the ones that could prove their worth joining him. They had done so spectacularly.

For all his pompous arrogance, for his conniving plans to overthrow, Starscream had been useful. Megatron refused to believe that Optimus Prime and all of his forgiving qualities would have actually offlined him. It was a preposterous but Starscream had, with some sort of noble sounding declaration, dragged him from the battlefield. He had been surprised to awaken in the med-bay, repairs fresh and… alone?

There had been no gloating Aerial Commander, no boasting about how Megatron was a fool and didn't deserve his title. Starscream hadn't claimed leadership in the time it took to repair him and in fact, the Seeker had been nowhere to be found. He had demanded answers and had stormed back to the med-bay, demanded again to know and… He didn't let his optics drift to the grayed frame, didn't linger on how devastating a loss it was to not have the trineleader of his Command Trine and a disappointment to lose such an eager berthmate.

Alarms trilled, distant, and several rushed to a different berth; then they were moving away again. They had given up on Skywarp; his injuries too severe, too dangerous to fix themselves and it would do more harm than good to even attempt at this point. Better, they said, to fix the one that had a chance, to get him stabilized before the last of his trine disappeared. Megatron only cared that his Aerial Commander was gone and his brothers were slowly following.

There was a horrific scream, agonizing and a very clear signal of a broken bond. He scowled furiously as a second grayed frame joined the other and turned back to the near panicked medics. They had let two of his Command Trine offline, not even the Unmaker could save them from Megatron's wrath if they let the third.

He still wasn't sure it mattered.

Could a Seeker function without his trine? He didn't know. Trines had fallen before but he had never been around, had never cared; they had not been worthy of the elevated position of this trine and he had never spared a thought. He couldn't recall any ungrouped Seekers within his army which was an ominous omen in and of itself. He didn't know how to read the monitors connected to the blue Seeker that remained but if the grim faces of the medics were anything to go by, it wasn't particularly good news.

He wondered what kind of cruel irony it was to endure the broken bond of the mech, a brother, a trusted wingmate who was responsible for the severity of your injuries. Megatron had never expected that the trine would turn on one another, that they would separate from one another and he had obviously been wrong. Skywarp had made his distaste with the blue Seeker very clear and was responsible for his wingmate being in the med-bay. Now everything depended on whether or not Thundercracker could survive without his trine, he needed an Aerial Commander and he was loathe to give the title to anyone else.

He hovered unnoticed as they worked, it was late into the night before he was stable. The medics paid Megatron no mind, dared not question why he stood in the shadows watching every move they made and now they were slowly disappearing, leaving one by one as they were certain he would live. The Decepticon Leader remained to judge what sort of life it would be. To see if the Seeker that had always been uncertain in his loyalty, that had already betrayed him once could be counted on still or if his trine had truly been everything keeping him.

In which case he pitied the medics their hard work as Thundercracker would not remain alive long.

Yellow optics flickered on and then off again in despair; loneliness where there had once been life could be maddening, almost as much so as being in the mines. The Seeker shifted, hand moving to clutch over his chassis and Megatron ignored the low keen that escaped the blue jet; it wasn't entirely pain that drove that sound, that action and he wondered if Thundercracker had realized he was present if it would have happened regardless or whether the pained sound would have been hidden.

He gave it a moment before stepping forwards, into the Seeker's line of sight and those optics focused sharply on him. He could see the way those wings stiffened, the glint of fear and Megatron remained expressionless as he eyed Thundercracker. Would he blame Megatron or the Autobots? He'd found that revenge was the greatest decider of loyalty. It was the reason many of his soldiers followed him, though some did for sport, some did because they believed in his ideals there were more than a few that had been wronged.

Fear gave him reason to believe the blue mech wasn't willing to lay back and accept his death. It required a test and it would either be life or an offlining. He moved to the side of the berth then his hand gripped tightly around Thundercracker's neck, fingers digging into sensitive cabling and cutting off the flow of his vents. The Seeker reacted as a dying mech should, hands came up automatically to claw at his arm and he gasped desperately for air.

"You disobeyed me," he growled, optics darkening dangerously.

"I am loyal," the Seeker rasped, hands weakly clasping around his forearm, "Lord… Megatron…"

"Good," he loosened his grip slightly, letting Thundercracker breathe. The Decepticon rather pleased when instead of him pulling away from him Thundercracker's grip on Megatron tightened. He'd passed the test, the Seeker wasn't willing to die on him just yet and maybe he lived for nothing, perhaps the gladiator would watch his soldier fade into nothing. He scowled at thought, that wouldn't do at all, he had hoped to get an Aerial Commander that would be reliable, strong enough to meet his requirements.

He eyed Thundercracker; Megatron needed something that would motivate the Seeker, keep him focused, loyal and most certainly alive. In retrospect, the blue jet was the perfect Aerial Commander, thoughtful, intelligent and patient perhaps if Starscream hadn't thrown himself at his Leader's pedes, Thundercracker would have found himself with the position in the first place. Now Megatron wasn't giving him a choice, he was the Decepticon Aerial Commander and the blue Seeker would have to live with it but he obviously needed some sort of convincing.

He released Thundercracker's throat in favor of stroking one finger down the other's cheek, sliding light over the sleek jaw. Megatron saw surprise register in those optics, the mech torn between flinching away and leaning into the touch. It quickly turned into confusion before Megatron was drawing away, but that beautiful Seeker was pushing himself to sitting, winced slightly.

"Why?"

Megatron tilted his head curiously, his 'invitations' to mechs had never been questioned before, they were generally just accepted. The Leader of the Decepticons wasn't about to tell Thundercracker the truth or that it was simply because Starscream was no longer available to share his berth.

"I reward loyalty." This Seeker was also the most likely to turn on him now, not as much as Starscream, but the possibility was there and it was the easiest way to keep an optic on him.

"Thank you, my Lord," Thundercracker muttered, settling back on the berth to stare at the ceiling.

Megatron harrumphed, "Report to me."

"Yes, Lord Megatron."

He stalked out, stopped just behind the glass to watch the Seeker tilt his head to look at the grayed frames of his wingmates and those optics shuttered. Perhaps his offer wasn't enough to live for, he had nothing else and if that was the case, undoubtedly the next thing Thundercracker did would be some desperate suicide mission. He frowned, already running other names through his processors trying to decide which of the other pathetic flyers he had that could take a Seeker's place.

He turned to leave and shifted back when Thundercracker raised a hand stroked exactly as Megatron had across his cheek. Interesting… maybe his new Aerial Commander would be useful after all and could find it in himself not to make his existence utterly meaningless in the end. It still wasn't certain, Megatron would have to watch him and see.

* * *

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